2024 is expected to be the warmest year on record, after a long period of exceptionally high global average monthly temperatures.
The WMO’s updated State of the Climate 2024 report (.PDF) has once again issued a red alert due to the sheer pace of climate change in a single generation, accelerated by the increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. The period 2015-2024 will be the warmest decade on record; glacier ice loss, sea level rise and ocean warming are accelerating; and extreme weather is wreaking havoc on communities and economies worldwide.
Analysis of the six international datasets used by the WMO shows that the global average surface air temperature in January-September 2024 will exceed the pre-industrial average by 1.54°C (with a ±0.13°C uncertainty margin), driven by a warming El Niño.
The report was released on the first day of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. It highlights that the ambition of the Paris Agreement is under serious threat.
